Center-Beam Flatcars (sometimes called center partition railcars) were designed to carry a variety of banded building materials such as dimensional lumber, wallboard, and fence posts, while also finding use in the transport of exposed loads such as cut timber, industrial piping, and telephone poles. The sturdy end walls, called bulkheads, prevent the loads from shifting past the ends of the car, while the center partition allows for additional security from movement and equalizes the weight distribution of the car. First appearing in the 1960s, many prototypes similar to this model were modified from existing bulkhead flatcars to serve these more specific purposes. The Bachmann 52' Center-Beam Flatcar arrives with fully detailed bulkheads featuring separately applied ladders and grab irons, accurately modeled and separately applied center partition stakes and a wood-texture deck surface. With its free-rolling metal wheels and scale 52' length, the car can maneuver across a 15" radius curve, allowing for maximum flexibility of operation, even on smaller layouts. | 
